On Bikes Without Kickstands

Why would anyone want a bicycle without a kickstand? I’m pretty sure I had one on this first bike, although it’s hard to tell from the way I’m proudly holding it up.

Young kids, in the 7 to 12 year old range, who are racing to their friend’s house, flying off the seat, and throwing the bike to the ground, in their haste to begin playtime, might. In fact, I’ve seen that happen!

When I turned 60, in 2012, I decided to get a bicycle. I had torn out a picture of one I liked from an ad and kept it in a desk drawer for years, like a wish list. We now had a cabin on Lake Okoboji, and I really wanted to be out there riding around the lake and on the trail in the country. It would be a cruiser with foot brakes only, no hand brakes, because that’s the kind I grew up with. It would also have a wicker basket attached to the front handlebars that I would fill with fun stuff.

I shopped for the bike and a helmet in Omaha and practiced riding around the store parking lot, feeling a little silly, but building confidence before I actually purchsed it. This bike had a kickstand.

Here’s a short story about another 60 year old getting a bike. I wrote it on June 26, 2011:

I’m thinking back to that day when I stopped at my friends’ Liz and Tony’s house. It was Liz’s birthday, her 60th, and she was riding her new bike around the block.

When she came back, Tony and I were sitting under the front yard shade tree, sipping icy orange pop from bottles—delicious! Liz desperately needed some. She was so thirsty after her first bike ride. She hopped off and parked, using the kickstand.

The bike shop had specially installed it for her, saying that few customers want them. This got us to talking about how we (our generation) want, expect, and like kickstands, and discussing why on earth anyone would not want one.

Shirley